Mario Andretti heaps praise on Circuit of the Americas

There’s little doubt that the new Circuit of the Americas race track near Austin, Texas, will earn a lot of fans when it hosts the Formula One United States Grand Prix next month, but it already has at least one big fan: Mario Andretti.

On Sunday, the track opened to members of the press and selected VIPs, and also gave Andretti and other drivers the chance to drive the circuit. Andretti first piloted the Lotus 79 F1 car that he drove to the F1 world championship in 1978, then he toured the track in other machines—though not the contemporary Renault F1 car that Jerome D’Ambrosio demonstrated. Andretti was supposed to drive the Renault as well, but the car suffered an engine glitch that put it out of commission for the rest of the day following some laps by D’Ambrosio.

Regardless, Andretti was enthusiastic in his praise for the track layout.

“It’s everything I expected and more,” he said. “The track is phenomenal. It has all the features you are looking for, giving you the opportunity to overtake, while still negotiating some tighter corners. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into it.”

Andretti--the last American to win the F1 title--seemed like a kid once he got behind the wheel.

“It’s very green, as you could expect,” he said of the track’s surface. “You get off-line a bit, it’s a bit slippery. But that’s normal for a new circuit. Overall, my impression is absolutely fantastic.”